The Miami University James Lewis Family Mock Trial program team placed eighth in the nation at the 2013 American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament held in Washington, D.C., April 12-14. The team is part of the top three percent of collegiate mock trial programs in the country.

Team member Catherine Law, senior philosophy and psychology double major, won an All-American Attorney Award and was the highest ranked attorney in the tournament. Claire Meikle, junior zoology major, won an All-American Witness Award.

Forty-eight teams competed in the national tournament after starting the season with a field of 551 teams from more than 350 colleges and universities (and more than 5,500 students) — making collegiate mock trial the largest academic competition in the country.

Florida State University won the 2013 National Championship.

Members of Miami’s eighth place national team are:

Senior Catherine Law, philosophy and psychology double major and Spanish minor from Rochester N.Y.;
Juniors Alex Block, political science major from Evanston, Ill.; Claire Meikle, zoology major from Oxford; Deborah O’Neal, political science major and history minor from Cleveland; Bradley Ouambo, political science major and business legal studies minor from Strongsville; and Lauren Yates, strategic communication major and marketing minor from Broadview Heights;
Sophomore Matthew Meeks, zoology major from Massillon; and first-year Christina Romine, international studies major from Grove City.

Team co-captains Catherine Law (left), double All American Attorney Award winner and highest ranked attorney in the National Tournament; and Claire Meikle (right), All American Witness Award winner.

Miami’s teams are coached by Dan Haughey, Butler County Area III judge, attorney and business legal studies faculty member; Neal Schuett and Laura Tholke, business legal studies faculty and attorneys; and Dan Herron, professor of business legal studies, program founder and director emeritus, along with Jade Smarda and Kate Bowling, alumnae and attorneys; Lawrence Hilton, Commonwealth attorney for the state of Kentucky; and law school students Melissa Schuett (University of Cincinnati Law School) and Jaime Glinka (Chase Law School).

Haughey is also the managing and operational director of Miami’s James Lewis Family Mock Trial Program.